Wisdom from Centenarians
I’m reading Book of Everyday Wisdom, by Sadie and Bessie Delaney. These two “colored” (their choice of self-descriptive) women lived to be 109 and 105! Their father was born a slave, and they were born in 1889 and 1891; both died in the late 1990s. Imagine living through Jim Crow, World War I and II, the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam and Korean Wars! They remained single their entire lives, choosing careers-dentistry and teaching–over marriage. At that time, the general consensus was that women could not have both a career and a family. I feel a bit closer to them, as good friends of ours lived in their large home in Mt. Vernon, New York for many years. Our friend Ron Mitchell was the one who set up the first interview with the sisters and a reporter, which led to an article in the New York Times, then a book – Having Our Say, and eventually a Broadway Show.
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Their books are filled with great advice, honest confessions, funny stories, poignant memories, and faith. They eschewed telephones and washing machines; exercised every morning; ate seven daily vegetables; and had daily devotions. Growing up as two out of ten children, their father, and Episcopal priest, led morning and evening prayers and read to his children from the Bible every evening. Faith practices hemmed in their day and expressions of faith were woven into the fabric of their lives.
The Bible was central to their home growing up. Not only did they read the Bible daily, but the book itself had a prominent place in their home. And when they left home and bought a house together, they used a small table in the living room between the two chairs where they spent much of their time at home to hold their beloved Bible. Bessie and Sadie advise us to praise the Lord throughout the day–in the morning, as we go out, and upon our safe arrival home. Prayer is also a part of their daily rhythm, and they remind us that one is never too busy or tired to set aside time to pray.
In one of the most moving and powerful moments in the book, the sisters write about praying for the very folks who were enforcing the Jim Crow laws in the late 1800s. They took to heart God’s admonition to pray for those who persecute you:
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:43-45
We can all learn a lot from these two amazing women!
Sounds like these ladies lives a very interesting life. Thank you for sharing.
They were amazing!
Sadie and Bessie sound interesting. I will have to check their books out. Thanks.